We must prefer real hell to an imaginary paradise.
Simone Weil
Real Struggles, Reject Illusion, Truth Over Fantasy, Authentic Living, Resilience, Human Reality
Simone Weil’s Quotes On Topics
Felt Evil | Force Reflection | Self-motivation | Country | Emotional Bond | Willpower | Personal Belief | Humility | Virtuous Love | Rare Virtue | Faith | Condemned Life | Individual Freedom | Miracles | Spiritual Perspective | Community | Production | Effort Worth | Cultural Critique | Misplaced Priorities | More
More Simone Weil Quotes
“If we know in what way society is unbalanced, we must do what we can to add weight to the lighter scale... we must have formed a conception of equilibrium and be ever ready to change sides like justice, 'that fugitive from the camp of conquerors'.” Simone Weil
Society, Balance, Justice, Social Responsibility, Moral Philosophy, Political Action
Simone Weil Society, Balance, Justice, Social Responsibility, Moral Philosophy, Political Action“Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose.” Simone Weil
Concrete Liberty, Freedom Of Choice, Individual Rights, Liberty, Autonomy, Human Potential
Simone Weil Concrete Liberty, Freedom Of Choice, Individual Rights, Liberty, Autonomy, Human Potential“The Cross of Christ is the only gateway to knowledge.” Simone Weil
Spiritual Wisdom, Christian Belief, Divine Truth, Faithful Journey, Sacred Learning, Cross Reflection
Simone Weil Spiritual Wisdom, Christian Belief, Divine Truth, Faithful Journey, Sacred Learning, Cross Reflection“Charity. To love human beings in so far as they are nothing. That is to love them as God does.” Simone Weil
True Charity, Divine Love, Humble Reflection, Compassionate Insight, Selflessness, Spiritual Depth
Simone Weil True Charity, Divine Love, Humble Reflection, Compassionate Insight, Selflessness, Spiritual Depth“To claim that theft or adultery or lying are “evil” simply reflects our degraded idea of good – that it has something to do with respect for property, respectability, and sincerity.” Simone Weil
Evil, Good, Degradation, Moral Standards, Ethical Reflection, Human Values
Simone Weil Evil, Good, Degradation, Moral Standards, Ethical Reflection, Human Values“The social order, though necessary, is essentially evil, whatever it may be.” Simone Weil
Order, Evil, Society, Social Necessity, Structural Flaws, Moral Conflict
Simone Weil Order, Evil, Society, Social Necessity, Structural Flaws, Moral Conflict“Why is the determination to fight against a prejudice a sure sign that one is full of it? Such a determination necessarily arises from an obsession. It constitutes an utterly sterile effort to get rid of it. In such a case the light of attention is the only thing which is effective, and it is not compatible with a polemical intention.” Simone Weil
Prejudice Fight, Sterile Efforts, Effective Attention, Prejudice, Obsession, Attention
Simone Weil Prejudice Fight, Sterile Efforts, Effective Attention, Prejudice, Obsession, Attention“The danger is not lest the soul should doubt whether there is any bread, but lest, by a lie, it should persuade itself that it is not hungry.” Simone Weil
Spiritual Hunger, Self-deception, Truth, Human Nature, Psychological Insight, Metaphor
Simone Weil Spiritual Hunger, Self-deception, Truth, Human Nature, Psychological Insight, Metaphor“We are like horses who hurt themselves as soon as they pull on their bits – and we bow our heads. We even lose consciousness of the situation, we just submit. Any re-awakening of thought is then painful.” Simone Weil
Submission Reflection, Human Conditioning, Awakening Thought, Inner Struggles, Life Awareness, Emotional Growth
Simone Weil Submission Reflection, Human Conditioning, Awakening Thought, Inner Struggles, Life Awareness, Emotional Growth“What should he do? It is simple. If he can escape from the grip of the people who wield the whip, he must run away. If he could have evaded his tormentors in the first place, he should have.” Simone Weil
Escape Survival, Freedom Struggles, Oppression Reflection, Self-Liberation, Human Strength, Societal Chains
Simone Weil Escape Survival, Freedom Struggles, Oppression Reflection, Self-Liberation, Human Strength, Societal Chains“"What hope is there for innocence if it is not recognized?” Simone Weil
Innocence, Recognition, Justice, Hope, Moral Dilemma, Societal Responsibility
Simone Weil Innocence, Recognition, Justice, Hope, Moral Dilemma, Societal Responsibility“It is much easier to imagine ourselves in the place of God the Creator than in the place of Christ crucified.” Simone Weil
Empathy, Suffering, Divinity, Human Nature, Spiritual Understanding, Religious Insight
Simone Weil Empathy, Suffering, Divinity, Human Nature, Spiritual Understanding, Religious Insight“Money destroys human roots wherever it is able to penetrate, by turning desire for gain into the sole motive. It easily manages to outweigh all other motives, because the effort it demands of the mind is so very much less. Nothing is so clear and so simple as a row of figures.” Simone Weil
Money, Roots, Desire, Motivation, Human Values, Economic Impact
Simone Weil Money, Roots, Desire, Motivation, Human Values, Economic Impact“I also am other than what I imagine myself to be. To know this is forgiveness.” Simone Weil
Self-awareness, Forgiveness, Identity, Human Nature, Psychological Insight, Spiritual Growth
Simone Weil Self-awareness, Forgiveness, Identity, Human Nature, Psychological Insight, Spiritual Growth“To conceive God as an all-powerful Person, or else, under the name of Christ, as a human person, is to exclude oneself from the true love of God. For this reason we must love the perfection of the heavenly Father even in the diffusion of sunlight. The divine and absolute model of that renunciation in us – which is obedience – is the creative and ordained principle of the universe, such is the fullness of being.” Simone Weil
God, Love, Perfection, Obedience, Divine Nature, Spiritual Understanding
Simone Weil God, Love, Perfection, Obedience, Divine Nature, Spiritual Understanding“People have progressively developed the habit of thinking, in all domains, only in terms of being ‘in favour of’ or ‘against’ any opinion, and afterwards they seek arguments to support one of these two options. This is an exact transposition of the party spirit.” Simone Weil
Opinion, Habit, Thinking, Party Spirit, Binary Mindset, Argument Formation
Simone Weil Opinion, Habit, Thinking, Party Spirit, Binary Mindset, Argument Formation“Who were the fools who spread the story that brute force cannot kill ideas? Nothing is easier. And once they are dead they are no more than corpses.” Simone Weil
Power Of Ideas, Force Reflection, Intellectual Fragility, Ideological Conflict, Historical Insight, Human Strength
Simone Weil Power Of Ideas, Force Reflection, Intellectual Fragility, Ideological Conflict, Historical Insight, Human Strength“The sea is not less beautiful in our eyes because we know that sometimes ships are wrecked by it.” Simone Weil
Sea, Beauty, Danger, Perception, Natural World, Human Perspective
Simone Weil Sea, Beauty, Danger, Perception, Natural World, Human Perspective“Bourgeois society is infected by monomania: the monomania of accounting. For it, the only thing that has value is what can be counted in francs and centimes. It never hesitates to sacrifice human life to figures which look well on paper, such as national budgets or industrial balance sheets.” Simone Weil
Society, Accounting, Value, Human Life, Capitalist Critique, Moral Economics
Simone Weil Society, Accounting, Value, Human Life, Capitalist Critique, Moral Economics